The BBC and the Met Office have been forced to apologise after weatherman
Tomasz Schafernaker was caught live on air making an obscene gesture at a
newsreader.

Mr Schafernaker was about to do the weather forecast on the BBC News Channel yesterday morning just before 11am, when news presenter Simon McCoy made a lighthearted remark.

“Now we will have the weather forecast in a minute and or course it will be 100 per cent accurate and provide all the detail you can possibly want,” said McCoy. “I’ve just seen Tom Schafernaker preparing for it.”

The camera cut to Schafernaker who, not realising he was now being broadcast live, was clearly seen raising his middle finger to McCoy in a well-understood gesture.

Instantly realising his mistake, Schafernaker moved his hand to his face to disguise it.

The camera cut straight back to McCoy, who also realised Schafernaker’s blunder and said: “There’s always one mistake. That was it.”

A BBC spokesman said that the corporation had received seven complaints. “Tomasz was not aware that he was on air, and whilst the gesture was only shown for a second, it was not acceptable,” she said. “The News Channel presenter live in the studio acknowledged a mistake had been made, and we apologise for any offence caused.”

While it is understood that Schafernaker does not face losing his job over the incident, his employers the Met Office apologised on his behalf. “Tomasz was not aware that he was on air at the time. However, his actions were not acceptable and we apologise for any offence caused,” said a spokesman.

Schafernaker, who was born in Gdansk but came to the UK as a child, is no stranger to controversy, having had to apologise previously for referring to the Western Isles as “Nowheresville” during a weather forecast.

He has also stumbled over his words and referred to Glastonbury as a “muddy shite” rather than a “muddy site”, and called Devon “Devil”.

In May 2008, he was seen on air tearing out his earpiece and saying “Well I don’t know if I’m on air on not so Gary over to you.”

Earlier this year Schafernaker raised eyebrows among BBC executives by showing off his impressive physique, shirtless, on the cover of the gay magazine Attitude Active.